Tempting Fate original version
by ninjaangelprincess
Summary: Severus S. and Charlie W. fall for muggle girls that Albus convinces to allow their house to be a safe house for Harry, Hermione, and the Weasleys. post DH, AU obviously if Sev and Albus are alive , one shot. soon to be actual story; same title


Author's notes: don't ask why i typed this, it's just a random thought that cam to me. Severus S. and Charlie W. x OCs based off of real people(sort of).

--

Sam was your average small town muggle high school graduate. The shoulder-length dark blonde-light brown haired, blue eyed former prep and athlete had a promising future but a twist of fate kept her in her hometown and strengthened the fragile bond of friendship and respect between her and a girl that she had gone to school with for six years.

Toni, on the other hand, with her average mid-back length brown hair and hazel eyes, was the forgotten one basically. She had helped a good number of her classmates graduate and had received very little thanks for it. She was fourth in her class and was more or less invisible unless someone needed help with something. A sweetheart of a girl really but she had a nasty temper and, after finally getting sick of people taking advantage of her kind nature, wouldn't hesitate to tell someone off nowadays. Why fate had caused her and Sam, a girl Toni had helped throughout high school and had a mild degree of respect for, to end up best friends by the end of their senior year was a mystery to the two of them.

How were they to know that their lives would be thrown for loop for a second time two years down the road and then once more not even a year later?

--

"For Merlin's sake, why aren't you using magic?! You're wizards, not muggles," Severus Snape shouts above the hurricane force winds at the Weasley boys.

"We can't," Arthur Weasley shouts back. "There's old magic at work here. We can't cast even a simple spell on the grounds."

"Interesting indeed," Albus Dumbledore muses from beside Severus. The two men had just Apparated onto the street the property in question is located on.

Albus had moved the Weasley family, Harry Potter, and Hermione Granger to a safe house in muggle America in the hopes that the last loyal followers of Voldemort would not be able to find and kill Harry so as to avenge their fallen leader. Severus had intended to Obliviate the minds of the two muggle girls living in said house but Albus had intervened, saying that he felt it would be best to have them around in case there was a problem that couldn't be solved using magic. Severus, Albus, Harry, Hermione, the Weasleys, and the two girls were all secret-keepers of the property; only they knew that there were witches and wizards living in a muggle town.

Albus and Severus realize just what Arthur meant when they step onto the corner lot of Number 40 Rosewood Ave. The men had passed through anti-magic wards that feel as though they've been there since, dear lord, the time of Merlin himself, Severus realizes with a start. He and Albus had been on the property before of course but the wards hadn't been there on previous visits.

"Look out," one of the muggle girls, Sam, calls as a branch is ripped from a tree by the wind. She bravely tackles Dragon Tamer Charlie Weasley out of the way of the tree branch.

"You ok?" the other muggle girl, Toni, calls from the porch of the house.

"Yeah, quit talking and keep pulling," Toni nods to Sam and returns to pulling the extremely long length of chain that the Weasley boys and Sam had secured around a recently excavated ancient pirate ship!

"What is going on here Albus?" Severus questions the old man as they approach the ship. "And why isn't anyone helping the girl to raise the ship?"

"The twins, Harry, and Ron unearthed the ship yesterday on accident when they were fooling around with some of the twins' joke shop products, Professors," Bill Weasley explains from beside the ship. "Between the lot of us, we dug the thing out of the ground using shovels. Thank Merlin that whatever wards that were on the ship came back to life when we uncovered it otherwise there'd be muggle reporters everywhere."

"Some sort of privacy ward I'm guessing," Albus comments as the storm worsens, lightning now illuminating the sky on and off. "But as Severus asked previously, why isn't anyone helping her?" Albus motions to Toni as she finally gets the chain pulled tight, the ship not even a half inch above the ground.

"We've got no idea, sir," Sam says as she and Charlie walk over to Severus and Albus. "There's some sort of seal on the lock on the chain. We found the chain on the ship's deck and when the lock closed the only one touching the chain was Toni and that was so that we _could_ close the lock. Now she's the only one who _can_ touch the chain. The rest of us get some weird surge of power through us that forces us away from the chain."

"We're starting to have our doubts Professor Dumbledore," Percy Weasley begins.

"We don't think these two," George Weasley motions to Sam and Toni, "are muggles at all. They accepted the fact that magic is real like it was nothing."

"They can sense the magic within living things the same was people like Harry and you can, Professor Dumbledore," Fred adds. "We think they might just be witches that never got a chance learn about our world because Wizarding America doesn't have a school for magic that accepts students born in the muggle world. And yes, Professor Snape, Hermione told us about Wizarding America."

Severus snorts unhappily but nods in understanding while Percy scowls at his brothers. Fred had added that last statement to prevent a sarcastic comment from the Potion Master.

"The chain's stuck!" Toni shouts above the now howling wind and frequent claps of thunder. The wind had lodged a small tree branch between the chain and some sort of wheel that it was being pulled through.

"Damn it," Sam curses. "There's no way we can reach the pulley without a ladder and it's too dangerous for _anyone_ to try with this wind."

"Don't even think about it Harry," Ron Weasley practically rips Harry Potter's Firebolt out of his best friend's hands before he can even attempt to mount the broomstick. The two boys- young men actually- had stayed on the porch to shield Toni from debris flying around in the wind. Since Harry, Hermione, and the Weasleys had started living in the girls' house almost a year ago, Toni and Sam had become a part of a family, something neither girl had had besides each other for a while.

"What else is there to do Ron? We can't use magic!" Harry yells.

"Harry, you've got a better chance of...," Toni trails off, mentally slapping herself in the process. "Oi, is anyone here good at archery?"

"Why would any of us besides you practice archery Tone?" Sam asks incredulously.

"Archery used to be really common in some older societies so I just figured maybe it was common in older Wizarding families too," Toni answers as Albus chuckles lightly. How he could be heard over the wind she wasn't about to ask. "What is it Albus?" The girls were on a first name basis with everyone in their odd family, Severus and Albus included.

"You are correct my girl," Albus chuckles as he directs his gaze towards Severus. "The Weasleys are an old family but not one of those who practiced the blood sports. Nor did the Potters. Hermione's parents are Squibs who grew up believing they were muggles. I myself am from an older family but I haven't practiced archery in years. I believe Severus has some skill in the sport and is in much better shape than I am though."

"I'm far better at swordplay Albus and you are well aware of that fact," Severus glares at Albus only to have Sam round on him.

"So what if you're better at using a sword! You still know how to shoot a bow and arrow! Do something before that chain gets struck by lightning!" Sam yells angrily just as a bolt of lightning narrowly misses the chain.

"And just where, pray tell, am I supposed to find a bow and arrow in such a short amount of time? Magic is useless on this land so I can't transfigure a bow and arrow out of anything."

"Pull it out of your-" Charlie clamps a hand over Sam's mouth before she can finish her insult to Severus.

"Ron, Harry, my archery equpment's in the downstairs closet, behind the coats," Toni tells the two boys and they run inside.

"Snape, here," Harry hands Severus the bow and arrow about five minutes and ten close calls with the lighting later.

"Nice shot Sev," Toni compliments as she pulls the chain tighter with some difficulty, the wind starting to move the ship around on her. "Damn it! Fred, George, hurry it up!"

The twins nod and set off a number of explosives in the area the ship had just been raised from. The explosion causes the hole in ground to collapse, leaving a relatively level surface beneath the ship.

"All clear! Let go of the chain!" Bill and Percy call.

Toni lowers the ship a bit before letting go of the chain. Once again, fate has a surprise in store for her though. The chain gets caught around the girl's leg and she latches onto the railing of the porch for dear life. Severus grabs her waist with one arm and the chain with the other, untangling the chain from around her leg without much difficulty.

"Toni!" Sam sprints the distance from the bottom of the yard up to the top of the porch steps. "You ok?"

"Yeah," Toni breathes, heart pounding. "Thanks to Severus I am," she turns to said Wizard, whose arm is still around her waist. "Thank you Severus. I didn't think you were the heroic type."

Sam nods to the man, "Thank you for saving her."

"You're welcome," Severus mutters as he realizes his arm is still around Toni's waist and pulls away quickly. "Shall we go see what is so important about this ship?"

--

Sam and Toni sit on the deck of the ship, happily avoiding going inside their house. Molly Weasley had been in labor all day and the tension within the house was getting to be too much. Poor Hermione Granger and Ginny Weasley had been stuck taking care of her. Toni elbows Sam in the side as two of the guys come to join them. Sam blushes when she recognizes Charlie as one of the approaching men. She punches her snickering best friend in the arm and laughs when she notices Severus looking at a now glaring Toni with mild amusement.

"Ladies such as yourselves should not use the vulgar language you both seem to be so fond of," Severus comments as he and Charlie climb aboard the ship.

"What're you two doing out here?" Sam asks quickly before a sarcastic comment can leave Toni's mouth. "Especially you, Charlie."

"It's too hyper of an atmosphere in there," Charlie shrugs. "Besides, the less people around, the less stress there'll be on mum and the baby."

"Albus needed someone to be the bearer of bad news and I was tasked with the assignment unfortunately," Severus answers when Toni gives him a questioning look. He and Charlie exchange a doubtful look before Severus explains. "Albus decided to drop a bombshell on all of us about twenty minutes ago. It seems that all of Voldemort's remaining Death Eaters have been either killed or sent to Azkaban prison which means that we'll be going back to Wizarding Great Britain as soon as Molly and the new Weasley girl are well enough to travel."

"That means that I'll be going back to Romania as well," Charlie adds.

Toni and Sam look at Severus and Charlie in shock before looking at each other the same way. In less than a minute, their world had just fallen apart for the second time in their lives. Severus and Charlie stare at the two of them in wonder as they recount an event from their past in extremely vague terms.

Charlie clears his throat loudly once the girls had finished talking and had sat in silence for a few minutes. Sam and Toni blush slightly before getting up and walking to different parts of the ship, Sam to the stern of the ship with her arms crossed over the ship's figurehead and Toni to a lower level of the ship.

"I'll never understand women," Severus mutters to Charlie, who nods his head in agreement. "They didn't even let us finish."

"I think they're just in shock and need some time to think," Charlie replies quietly. "I know I shouldn't have listened but I overheard them talking to Ginny and Hermione one day. Seems both of them have had a hard time when it comes to relationships. One's last boyfriend gave up his life for her and the other's betrayed her and ran off with a now former best friend from what I overheard."

Severus nods grimly, Albus had informed him of the girls' situations before they had arrived at Number 40 Rosewood Ave almost a year ago. "I believe they're more upset by the loss of all of us though and not just the two of us. We've become a family to them."

"Listen Professor- Severus," Charlie waits for a disapproving remark from Severus for the use of his given name and continues when he gets an approving nod, "we both knew we were tempting fate when we came out here to tell them so let's just tempt her one last time and go after them."

"What makes you so sure they have feelings for us?" Severus asks skeptically. It had become obvious to all of the men earlier when Sam had saved Charlie and had barely kept herself from blushing furiously afterwards that she returned his feelings for her. And Severus had unwittingly revealed his growing feelings for Toni when he had saved her not long after and had forgotten to remove his arm from around her waist. None of the men knew if she felt the same way or not though.

"How are we to know if they do or not if we don't talk to them? Nothing ventured, nothing gained," Charlie shrugs. "What do we have to be scared of? You test deadly potions for the fun of it and I tame dangerous dragons for a living."

Severus nods and the two of them set off in opposite directions.

"It isn't fair," Sam mumbles as Charlie approaches her. "What other bad news do you have now Charlie?"

Charlie shakes his head in confusion at how she knew it was him without being able to see him.

"No bad news, just wanted to talk," the Dragon Tamer leans back against the side of the ship beside her. "What's wrong?"

No answer.

"You're upset about us leaving aren't you?"

"Gee, what gave it away?" Sam snaps at him. "Sorry. Yeah, I'm upset. Do I have a reason not to be?"

"As a matter of fact, you just might. My dad and Professor Dumbledore decided to be idiots and got appointments for you and Toni at the Ministry of Magic in Great Britain to see if you two might actually be Witches. Whether you are or not doesn't make much of a difference to me though," Charlie smiles at Sam.

"How so?" she questions, some redness still in her eyes. "Last I knew, most Wizarding society frowned upon non-Magic folk, Squibs and muggles to be more precise."

"My family broke from the beliefs of the old pureblood families generations ago. My parent's don't care about blood, they want their children to marry for love. Hell, Bill's marrying a half-Veela," Sam frowns at Charlie's answer. "What I mean is, I don't care if you're a muggle, a Squib, or a Witch. I'm trying to say that you can come to Romania with me you want to- I mean, that I want you to come to Romania with me. I'm going to shut up now."

Sam lets out a laugh and smiles at the flustered red-head before her, his face as red as his hair. "I'd love to," she says simply.

--

Meanwhile, Severus had chased after Toni against his better judgement. He had found her in the ship's hold, sitting atop some old wooden crates that contained Merlin only knows what.

"Care to come down from there?" Severus asks, holding out his hand to her despite himself.

"Not really," the girl snorts but jumps down on her own anyway and leans back against the crates, her normal defense of sarcasm barely hiding the still upset tone in her raspy voice. "What else do have to say to further ruin my life, _Snape_?"

"Don't take that tone with me," Severus snarls back at the girl. "I came down here to see if you were alright but it seems my affections are unwanted."

Toni's breath catches in her throat as Severus turns to leave. "Don't- don't go. I'm sorry Severus. I didn't mean to be harsh."

Severus smirks at the girl over his shoulder before turning back to her. "If you didn't mean to be harsh, then what, pray tell, did you mean to be?"

Toni bites back a comment and sighs dejectedly. "I was just trying not to sound hurt and upset. I can't stand the thought of losing my family again. Or someone important to me..."

"You need to not mumble at the end of your sentences," Severus mocks the girl, a knowing gleam in his eyes. He heard what she said but was pretending he hadn't.

"You heard me and you know it," she glares at him stubbornly. "But I guess there's no point in not repeating myself now, is there? I said that you're important to me."

"Much better," Severus smirks as Toni struggles with the urge to try and tackle him to the ground. He, Charlie, Bill, and Arthur had broken up fights between her, Sam, and the twins enough times to know the girl had no problem resorting to physical contact when angry with family, although she had usually only tackled someone into a wall when provoked or in an extremely bad mood.

"Well? Is that why you came down here? To find out if I had feelings for you?" Toni asks as she leans back against the crates again.

"I'll admit that it wasn't my foremost intention but it was one of them," Severus receives a slight glare from the girl. "I came to find out if you were alright as I said before. But I also came to tell you that Albus and Arthur made arrangements to find out if you and your friend are actually muggles or not."

"What else is there?"

"You're not a Legilimens and my mental barriers are too strong for any other than Albus to penetrate so how did you know that there is something else I'm not telling you?" Severus questions the girl, his nerves completely unsettled.

"I didn't. I just played along with your nervousness and took a guess," Toni smiles at him cheekily. "What are you so nervous to talk about Severus?"

"Nothing."

"Just say it already. Keeping your worries to yourself only makes things worse, especially when the people you care about, and that care about you, are worried about you," the girl says knowingly. She'd been down the same road with her worries plenty of times herself so she could truly speak from experience.

"Albus requested that I ask you if you would care to move into Hogwarts provided that you reside within the dungeons with me since you seem to be comfortable around magic," Severus tries to veil his question by dragging Albus into it.

Toni suppresses a fit of laughter as she shakes her head. Vague and disguised questions and statements were how she and Sam always discussed certain past events. Severus' disguised statement was plain English to her.

"What are you laughing about?" Severus asks indignantly. "I see nothing humorous about Albus' request."

"One, it's your question, not Albus' request. Two, I'm flattered that you have feelings for me. And three, of course I'll agree to it," Toni sighs, trying her damnedest to keep from smirking. "Quit gawking and say something coherent Sev. Come on, let's get you to bed so you can rest. Maybe you'll be your normal, sarcastic self once the shock wears off. I hope. If not, then I won't be able to put up with you."

--

Albus watches in amusement as a smirking and oddly happy Toni leads a seemingly Stupefied Severus inside the house and upstairs to bed. Whatever anti-magic wards were on the property had vanished once the ship, _Tempting Fate_, had been completely unearthed. Albus had cast a Listening Charm on the ship out of curiosity. Not one of the soon-to-be-former residents of Number 40 Rosewood Ave had been able to not join Albus in eavesdropping on the conversations between Sam and Toni, Charlie and Severus, Sam and Charlie, and Toni and Severus. Oddly enough, no one was surprised by the results of the conversations either, save for their amusement at Charlie and Severus' shock that the girls who had somehow captured their hearts returned their affections.


End file.
